Today, we learned that the upcoming Dodge Challenger Demon will come with real-time performance monitoring and a dedicated drag racing mode. The Demon could be the most hardcore drag racing special of the decade, but there have been many before it.

In the halcyon days of ground-pounding big-blocks, manufacturers would go to insane lengths to beat the competition on the NHRA tracks. These are some of the wildest factory drag specials ever made.

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1968 Dodge Hemi Dart

1968 Dodge Hemi Dart

The 426 hemi is a massive motor. Though it displaces less than a Mopar 440, the wide head necessitated by the splayed valves make it a tight squeeze in any engine bay. After a few years racing midsize Hemi-powered Coronets, Dodge sought a new edge by ramming the brutal Hemi into unsuspecting Dart compacts.

Fitting the massive engine required technicians to bash the shock towers with hammers to sandwich the motor in place. Not content with dropping a race-spec high-compression big-block into an economy car, the Dodge boys set about shedding weight.

The hood and front fenders were fibreglass. The rear seat was removed and the front bench was replaced by tiny bucket seats from a Dodge A100 van. Side glass was replaced with Plexiglas and the winding mechanism was replaced with a length of seatbelt to pull it up or down. Two transmissions were offered, a burly three-speed automatic or a custom-made three-speed manual. The cost for all this was $4,200 – at a time when a Cadillac cost nearly $5,000.

1962-63 Pontiac Catalina Super Duty

1963 Pontiac Catalina Super Duty

Before GM neutered competition between its divisions, there used to be some fairly spectacular in-fighting displayed on the race tracks of America. One example of this is the Pontiac Catalina Super Duty, built to combat the Chevy Impala Z11 – more on that later – on the drag strip.

The Catalina was neither small nor light, so engineers set out to shed as much weight as they could. Aluminum was used in the front clip and radiator mounts, while certain 1963 SDs came with giant circular holes drilled all over the frame to reduce weight. The holes had no flanges and were very prone to cracking. Buyer beware!

Powering all this was a 421-cubic-inch V8 with dual quads and a bone-crushing 12.5:1 compression ratio. Output was around 450 horsepower, and the transmission was a four-speed manual made with close-ratio Corvette gears. With all this work included, the Super Duty rang in as a $1,200 option on top of the price of a Catalina.

1964 Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt

1964 Ford Thunderbolt

In the early 1960s, Ford was drag racing full-size Galaxies and not achieving a ton of success. Ford had a strong engine with the FE 427, but the issue was the Galaxie’s weight. Ford had created a few Galaxie “lightweights,” but they still weren’t light enough. Drastic measures were needed.

Ford decided to drop the 427 into the midsize Fairlane two-door sedan. To do this, the front suspension had to be relocated to mount the mighty V8 between the shock towers. To make it lighter, Ford used fibreglass for the doors, hood and fenders, along with Plexiglas windows. The window cranks, sun visors, heater, hubcaps and carpeting were all thrown away to save weight.

Ford also created a trick air intake that Dodge would copy decades later. Like the Challenger Hellcat Demon, the two centre light bulbs (of four total) were removed to fit a duct that fed air directly to the carburetor.

1962-63 Chevrolet Impala Z11

1962 Impala Z11

The 409 Chevrolet Impala is notable for being the only car to be mentioned in a song by both the Beach Boys and NWA, but the most lethal 409 ever made wasn’t really a 409 at all. Though it looked like a 409 on the outside, GM had stroked the engine to a full 427 cubic inches. Not only that, but it was built with a 13.5:1 compression ratio, which necessitated using racing fuel.

Lightening measures included aluminum used for the front end, hood and hood release, front fenders, grille, radiator mounts and both bumpers. None came with radios and most came without sound insulation or heaters.

1964 Dodge 330 Hemi

A Dodge Coronet rolling off the production line.

Before Dodge resorted to the compact Dart, they tore up the drag strips in specially prepared 330 two-door sedans. That body style was chosen because it was lightweight and more rigid than a coupe. With the heavy Hemi up front, weight distribution was an issue, so a larger battery was fitted in the trunk to help with balance.

Like most of the cars on this list, the 330 Hemi drag cars had aluminum fenders and hood complete with a giant scoop to feed all eight carburetor barrels. But in the quest to reduce the kilograms, Dodge even removed the hood hinges; the hoods lifted straight off and were secured by four pins. The Hemi wasn’t cheap, either, and rang in at $3,955 when new.